Date: 30 Jul 2010 Comments: 1

Normally, I consider dream interpretation to be the stuff of fantastical religions or movies. However, I had a dream last night that was very strange to me and try as I may, I can’t get it out of my head as just a dream. I am hoping it is a unique way of God speaking to me since my quiet time has been…well… less than stellar lately.

To explain what led up to the part I actually recall would be impossible. What I can gather, I recall feeling like I was traveling in a car for a long distance somewhere. It seems like I remember hearing we were going to Louisiana but that’s pretty fuzzy. What’s important is what happened once we arrived. Basically, the event was like a big reunion type event where lots of people I know were attending. Tiff was there and I seem to recall us having multiple kids. I remember various family being there as well.

The place was a large house that literally backed up to something like an inlet or a lake or something of that sort. The water in this lake was beautifully crystal clear and I could see all the way to the bottom of it. The water itself, tasted like salt water so it seemed as though this was some sort of ocean inlet, not sure how water would be salty otherwise. Lots of people were swimming in this ocean type environment and having a ball. But I remember asking myself whether or not this water was clean and having unspoken worries that it could be a dumping ground for the sewage that exited this large house. Furthermore, the light in this place was very dim. It was almost like dusk but it never seemed to get any brighter or darker.

Regardless of the fears I had, I recall speaking to Tiff and someone else before jumping in to the water and enjoying swimming around. Here I was swimming in this beautiful inlet with many friends and family around and the water was so clear I could almost count my toes on the floor of the pool while standing in the water. On and on I played in this water, swimming around and visiting friends and family that were swimming with me. It seemed like such a blissful experience!

However (there always has to be one of those, doesn’t there?), at one point, I got out of the water and was shaking myself off. I went over and found Tiff who was lazily sitting in a chair and talking with her dad in another chair. I smiled and told her how wonderful the water felt and how I could not believe how clear it was. She responded with hesitation and said “Well, how do you know it’s clean? There could be anything in there, especially with all those people.” I remember that I was slightly upset that she would question the wonder of this place and I started pointing out how clear the water was and how the water tasted salty but not disgusting and how I could see to the bottom and there was nothing like trash or garbage on the bottom.

The pivotal moment came when I held up my hands and said “Look! Nothing happened to me! I am fine! See?” I waved my hands in the air and turned around in a circle to show I was in one piece and not damaged. Then, her father, never a man to state something that isn’t fact said: “Really? Look at yourself again, closer this time.” I was confused as to why he would ask such a thing and then I looked on my hands. Between my fingers, right on the piece of skin that goes from one finger to the next, were TICKS! My hand had at least three on it, one of which was one of those gross green and fat ticks that my first dog used to get. Horrified, I began pulling the ticks off me, digging them out of my skin. Disgustingly, the green one popped and splattered gross dark stained blood on my hand (not a lot mind you but enough to be gross). I began pulling ticks off of my body as quick as I could. Then… I woke up.

Now, some might consider this something of a nightmare and looking back on it as I recounted it on this blog makes me wonder why I didn’t think of it like that. Yet, as I think over it, I feel that there were many wonderful things to take out of this as a message from God while still peppering in some necessary caution. It is possible that God was using this as both a reminder and as a slight compliment.

First off, the water was extremely clear which, in our society, is viewed as pure and clean. Many times, people who are considered ‘good Christians’ are viewed as being pure and are even called the ‘salt of the earth’ (hence the salty water). Yet, when the reality comes in, there is not one person in this world who is truly blameless other than Jesus Christ alone.  Furthermore, people that consider themselves ‘Good’ often blind themselves to their own flaws and shortcomings because they feel “good” to look pure like the water.

Second, it was not a big booming voice that called me out. It was not a strange unseen entity. It was my father in law who is a man that I respect more than many other men in this world. Not only because of the way he raised my wife to be such a wonderful woman but also because of how he lives his life. Sure, he makes mistakes from time to time, and he has countless times apologized to Tiff for how hard he used to be on her when she did things wrong as a kid because he felt that since her mom didn’t do much discipline, he would have to do double time or she would turn out rotten. It takes a big man to admit that they struggled as a father and the fact that he is able to makes me respect him immensely. He also lives his life very simply. He doesn’t have a big house even though he has the land for it, he still lives in the same house his father and his grandfather lived in. He is slowly building a new house in the back of his current house but just because the one he has is starting to have some structural issues and isn’t as sturdy as it used to be. He works hard and when he is done working, he comes home and does things he enjoys like driving four wheelers around or fishing on the lake or even working in his shop (which is bigger than his house. LOL).

All that being said, he is a great man and one I respect. The point here is that he is the one who pointed out the ticks that I had previously missed. He did not do it in a condescending way, he did it in a quiet way that was more of a question asked politely than a veiled insult. The reason he was able to tell me what was happening is because he existed outside of me, he could see things that I could not see because he was outside of me looking in. It almost seems like an example of how God views the world. This is not to say I view my father in law as God nor is God exemplifying himself in that form. Rather, the perspective he had was different than my own.

Finally, the ticks on me were things that were disgusting. Tiny little bloodsuckers that had crawled on to my skin while I was enjoying myself. Once I realized they were on me, I was horrified and tried to remove them. This reminds me that despite how clean I might look and how clean the water I am swimming in may look, there are still tiny elements of sin attached to my body. Little things here and there that I do, probably without thinking sometimes that have a big impact on my spirit. It further reminds me that no matter how good I may feel or look, I still am a depraved and blind creature in the presence of my Heavenly Father. Try as I may, I could never know where all the ticks are on me but at least the ones I see, I can dispose of, even if they get a bit messy. God still allows me in His presence, but reminds me daily that I am still a work in progress.

The bottom line? Don’t just try to keep up the appearance of what you are trying to keep. Instead, admit that we all have flaws and that these flaws are often things we overlook but God gives us a means to see some of them and get rid of them. Don’t expect that just because you swim in the water of Christianity with others, that it makes you any better than another. Strive to be holy because God is holy.

You decide… am I over-evaluating this? Or does it seem like God could be using it to reach me. I already know that I feel the dream was a message so you won’t be able to change my mind. Moreover, I would like you to consider that situation and evaluate what things you might have to dispose of in your life. Tiny things even, but things that stick to your skin and make you less of who you need to be now. God bless!